Futures Unknown
by RskimB
Summary: A very unique story of the turtles, who are trying to uncover the mysteries of their existence and looking to start over in life. However they don't even know each other and aren't like what you are used to. finally updated, Ch.11 is UP
1. Raekana ka lik

The TMNT and tmnt-related characters are all property of Peter Laird, Kevin Eastman, and Mirage Studios. I do not claim to own them and am only writing a fanfic containing their characters. Any additional characters are completely original and my own creations.  
  
Futures Unknown  
  
Prologue  
  
One night over twenty years ago, a tanker filled with barrels of plant growth substance was ravaged by the sea while on its destination to Japan. The ship sank somewhere between Japan and Hawaii, when the tanker was going down, several containers of the plant growth were lost due to breeches in the hull. At that same time the pet turtle of the ship's navigator was thrown from its terrarium and through a shattered window. Many of the barrels that were lost also opened and spilled their contents onto the turtle. The baby turtle was brought over to a nearby island due to the violent waves. Two days later it was discovered on shore and it had quadrupled in size. The turtle was brought to a nearby village, where many said that except for the large "irremovable" stone on its back that it very closely resembled the god of their village. It had been prophesied only five months ago that, their god would return reincarnated as a young child to observe his people first hand to determine whether they were worthy of continuing to live. When he was grown if they had not already been destroyed by him then he would become their king.  
  
Present day  
  
Although King Raekana-ka-lik's two year reign as ruler of the North village of Kantara had been successful, there were still many who thought that he should not be king. The most vocal among them was the late King Saurok's son, Taleko. He despised Raekana-ka-lik for stealing what would have been his place on the throne. To try to appease him somewhat, Taleko was put in charge of the village "army"(they had nowhere near enough men to actually be an army), whose sole purpose was to protect the Northerner's from sporadic attacks from the warlike South village forces. However Taleko was not content with his position, he sought absolute power and devised a plan to regain his "rightful" seat on the throne. In a few hours he and all men loyal to him would attack the King, his advisors, and any who openly opposed the attack.  
  
"King Raekana-ka-lik, food has been plentiful, we have a large surplus, our people are healthy, there have not been any serious disputes among them for at least two months, we have not been attacked in over five months and the weather as of late has been fairly calm. There are no issues to address today, this will be another day of leisure for you, sire. You are free to do as you wish, your services are not required today," One of his two advisors informed.  
  
Raekana-ka-lik nodded in response and turned to leave, but stopped at the entrance of the Decisions Hut.  
  
"How many times do I hafta say this? Just call me King Ra or only King! No more long-windedness."  
  
"Our apologies King, forgive us," They replied in unison.  
  
Ra grunted in response and went to his own hut and lay on his grass mat.  
  
"Damn they're still annoying but at least they've improved from last year when they'd always call me the 'Most glorious and cunning god-king Raekana- ka-lik'. Still the whole Raekana-ka-lik thing is just way too long."  
  
At least they did their best to minimize the amount of work he actually had to do because being king was pretty dull. He knew that he was no god, but if he did not keep playing along and pretend to be their god he would probably get kicked out of the village or even killed if Taleko had his way. Ra often wondered what he truly was since he knew he wasn't a god. His name stood for great lizard man, but he looked nothing like any of the lizards on Kantara, in fact he didn't look much like anything else on the island except for maybe a villager when it was very dark. Ra's eyelids grew heavy, he drifted in and out of consciousness, until finally he could not resist sleep any longer. 


	2. Kyoji

Prologue  
  
Twenty years ago a lonely farmer with a dark past walked into Wakayama with what little money he had to purchase two things: one was a pet with a decent life expectancy and the other was something to make his crops grow faster and larger after having his most pathetic harvest since becoming a farmer. He had hoped he had enough money for a dog, cat, or even a singing bird, but after buying two canisters of Miracle Green the only thing that he could afford that wouldn't die within weeks or months was a turtle. Once he returned to his home he set the turtle on the floor and the canisters of Miracle Green on a nearby table. He opened one of them and went outside to fetch some potatoes to test the Miracle Green. But the door was left open and a strong winter wind knocked both canisters off the table, and the open one dropped on the baby turtle, leaving a slimy mess. The farmer returned moments later only to see the turtle crawling in slime. After realizing what had happened he cleaned the turtle as thoroughly as possible and then wiped the potatoes with the rag he used to cleanse the turtle and then went off to bed. The next morning he awoke, only to discover that the turtle had nearly doubled in size.  
  
"Has this miracle been bestowed upon me to make amends for the lives that were lost?"  
  
Present day  
  
"You are a diligent worker Kyoji, both as a farmer and as a student. We are finished for today, you may return to your quarters," The old farmer told his pupil.  
  
Kyoji bowed silently and left. Twenty years since the "accident" the farmer's turtle was the size of a man, fully intelligent, and even appeared somewhat humanlike. Kyoji was seemingly content with his life, but in his dreams he constantly saw himself alone and without his master. Which made him wonder how is life would be if his Sensei was gone. Kyoji tried to ignore the dreams because he did not want to face the fear he felt when even thinking about living without his Master's support.  
  
While in his lodging Kyoji was thinking about his martial arts training and how without it life would be more tedious than it presently was. He never liked to admit it but life was otherwise dull; everyday was the same: wake up early to farm, finish farming when sun began to set, rest for a short period, do a little martial arts training, and then ask Master questions that Kyoji hoped he would answer.  
  
Only Sundays were different, on Sundays there was no farm work(besides milking/feeding cow, and feeding the chicken or checking for eggs) or any martial arts training. Those days the Master taught Kyoji some of the English he had picked up and he would impart some wisdom to Kyoji. It wasn't much but it was a welcome diversion from the Monday through Saturday routine. 


	3. Michinaga

Prologue  
  
Only twenty years ago, renown sumo wrestler Emeto Kobeyashi sat in his room with his pet turtle and his oversized bonsai tree while holding a canister of Miracle Green.  
  
"If I feed Michinaga some food covered in this plant growth material, he will grow healthy and large like me."  
  
At the time it seemed like an ingenious plan, but it turned out different than Emeto had planned. Instead of the lettuce it had been given, the baby turtle stepped on it instead. The next day Kobeyashi went to check up on the turtle and saw that it could hardly fit inside the modest shoe box it was housed in.  
  
"I did not expect to see any results so fast!"  
  
Days later after witnessing even more astonishing growth, the sumo legend retired and life changed completely.  
  
Present day  
  
Michinaga stood not too far from the sumo in front of him, who was already tiring. Without warning they both rushed forward at the same moment. Michinaga spun around the other sumo, grabbed him by his side, and then forced him out of the circle with a mighty shove that sent the rather large man to ground hard.  
  
"Winner is Michinaga," Kobeyashi declared.  
  
Michinaga was exhausted after having completed a five straight sessions and winning in all of them.  
  
"Humph, I keep telling you that you rely on your agility far too much, you need to develop your strength further in order to avoid becoming a two dimensional sumo. Oh well, you did good today, you may have the rest of the day to yourself. Men we are finished for today, go home."  
  
All the sumo wrestlers left and Kobeyashi quickly retreated into the house, leaving Michinaga all alone.  
  
Just two years ago he was still satisfied with his empty life, all the training and Kobeyashi. Now he longed for freedom and for a new life. Although he couldn't say that Kobeyashi had been a loving individual or a cruel one, he that at least he was a decent man. Still, Michinaga wanted to experience something deeper than what he had now. He wanted to feel an actual connection with someone, rather than just the pretense of family. When you got down to it there was no relationship other than the teacher/student one they shared.  
  
And to make matters worse he had no friends, no one to even talk with. The people he wrestled with were afraid of him and got the hell away as soon as possible and he had never been past the gate. I need to live, its about time that I finally leave from here. But Michinaga could not leave, because he felt obligated to Kobeyashi to receive his permission. It would be quite simple to leave without him finding out, but Michinaga refused to slink away like a dog that had just done something wrong. The sun was beginning to vanish beyond the distant horizon and that alerted Michinaga to finally get inside. 


	4. Terry

Prologue  
  
Twenty years ago a homeless man by the name of Richard was rummaging through a trash can and was shocked to find something living inside. A turtle was crawling in some green substance that had also been discarded. Richard used some bottled water to clean it up and took it out of the garbage.  
  
"I can't believe someone would be heartless enough to just toss a living creature into the trash."  
  
Richard took the turtle back to the building he was squatting in and then rested. When morning soon arrived, Richard awoke but lay still for a few more minutes. Before he finally remembered about the baby turtle he had rescued the day before.  
  
"How are you this m--. Holy crap!" He exclaimed while turning to greet the formerly diminutive creature.  
  
"This is remarkable, the turtle has practically doubled in size. How is it possible?"  
  
However as quickly as he had asked himself the question he had recalled the green goo he saw the turtle crawling in.  
  
"The substance had to have triggered this, if only I knew what it was. Then I'd-- No. Enough I must stay focused on the present."  
  
Present day  
  
"How did you do today?" Terry asked.  
  
Richard started to answer, but then began coughing violently. Terry rushed over to see if Richard was alright. He was pale and his hands were freezing.  
  
"Are you alright? I knew I should have gone in your place for you-"  
  
"I'm fine it was just a bit nippy out is all. Anyway today I was pretty successful... let me see I got two hundred and twelve dollars and thirty- four cents."  
  
"That should be enough to last us a bit."  
  
"Have you thought about the question I asked last week?"  
  
"There's no need to, all I need to do is get you to realize that you'll probably live another ten, twenty, maybe even twenty-five more years."  
  
"All right, but even if I do live that long you still haven't answered my question." What are you going to do with your life once I die?"  
  
"I'll deal with it when I need to."  
  
"Even if you try to ignore it, it'll still happen. You need to think about your own future, one where you may not be able to rely on me. However I do think that when I'm not here any longer that you should probably leave New York although I have no suggestions about where you should go."  
  
"That's nice, I think I think I'm gonna hit the hay."  
  
"I think I'll go to bed as well. Good night."  
  
That night was probably the coldest night in decades and it was pretty evident seeing them both that night. Both Terry and Richard were shivering furiously, because even with a roaring barrel fire going on through most of the night, their meager blankets could not protect them from the bone chilling cold. The freezing cold of the next morning woke Terry quickly.  
  
"Damn, the fire is out. I'll have to get some things to get a new one going. Wow, Richard's still in his sleeping bag, this harsh cold must make him really tired for him not to be up by now."  
  
Terry put on his hat and pulled it low and his boots and clothes were still on so he just popped his trench coat and walked out into the bitter cold. Terry was surprised to see that there was no snow on the streets, but he was also grateful that the was no snow from yesterday and that it wasn't snowing now. The streets like the sky were bare and traffic was light. He picked up his pace and finally turned into an alley where a familiar dumpster was. He lifted the lid and peered inside hoping to find some useful contents.  
  
"Thank you!"  
  
He cried when he found two stacks of the New York Crier; a fledgling one man "newspaper" full of conspiracy theories, anti big brother articles, and jam packed with internet advertisements. He dug deeper and found a liquor bottle that still had a good amount of booze within.  
  
"Had a good run today. Better hurry back to get the fire going."  
  
A few minutes later Terry was back home and had a strong fire going.  
  
"Better wake up Richard so we can go get some breakfast. Richard, its time to get up so we can buy some food with the money from yesterday."  
  
Terry went over to rouse him physically and opened up the sleeping bag and saw Richard's face.  
  
"His face... its so pale, almost blue."  
  
Terry put his hand to Richard's face and as he had guessed it was devoid of any warmth. Terry unzipped it completely and felt for a pulse, but there wasn't one.  
  
"I should've realized how old and weak he was, I didn't think. Why now?"  
  
Terry remained where he sat dejected and uncertain about what was to come. 


	5. Fight & Flight

Fight and Flight  
  
"Tonight we will take back our North from the supposed god, Raekana-ka-lik. I shall reclaim the throne and that abomination shall disgrace the village no more." Taleko told his supporters.  
  
The Decisions Hut and other royal huts were about thirty minutes away to discourage constant visitors; it worked almost too well because the king and his advisors were often unaware of what was occurring in the village for days at a time.  
  
Taleko and his men comprised mostly of the village army and friends of Taleko. They were waiting just outside the royal grounds and would attack at midnight. Taleko was signaling his men to move, when he heard someone running in their direction.  
  
"Taleko, its horrible, we need your help, the village has been attacked by the South village warriors. They are burning down huts and killing everybody in sight, we are badly outnumbered!" An army member who stayed behind reported.  
  
"Damn it, men we must make haste. Back to the village we shall deal with the impostor later."  
  
Thirty something minutes later when Taleko and his men finally made it to the village, all of it was up in flames and there were hardly any North village men alive. Taleko and his men attacked with ferocity and the South village men battled back even harder. Taleko's men had the advantage of being fresh, but they were badly outnumbered. Still his men battled through though early morning while their numbers slowly dwindled. Neither side quit even though more and more bodies continued to blanket the sand. By sunrise only Taleko and ten of his men were standing for the Northern forces and twenty or thirty for the Southerners.  
  
Finally after hours of unending battle the South army leader ordered a retreat even though Taleko's men had not been wiped out. Taleko and his men rested for a half hour before Taleko ordered them to search for any survivors. The men searched each hut looking for people who might have survived the vicious attack by the South village army. Several minutes later they all returned to report.  
  
"Only four women and eleven children have been found. Everyone else has died in the fire or by the hand of the Southerners. There are no more men alive, they have all...perished." One soldier reported.  
  
At that same time Ra had just woken up and was oblivious to all that had happened in the village.  
  
"Ugh, I slept way too long."  
  
Ra stretched before he splashed some water on his face and ate some fruit to freshen his breath and then finally headed to the Decisions Hut.  
  
"Why is the hut empty, where are my advisors? I doubt that they overslept, but I should still check their huts."  
  
He checked both of their huts and found each of them to be empty.  
  
"Did they go to the village to pray? Usually they tell me before they do so, however maybe they didn't want to disturb my sleep. Without them here I have nothing to do so I may as well head into the village."  
  
As Ra was approaching the last half mile he could see the ruined village up ahead, even from that far the dead bodies and charred huts were strikingly evident.  
  
"What the hell? When were we attacked and why wasn't I alerted?"  
  
Ra ran back to his hut and retrieved a key from its hiding place. He used the key to open up a trunk in the corner of the hut. He took a sword from the trunk and locked it again and then sped off toward the village. Meanwhile in the village Taleko's men were surrounding the advisors; who they had snatched a while before Ra had awoken. The advisors were on their knees and Taleko stood in front of them, with a haughty smile spread across his face.  
  
"Do you traitors have any words to say before I kill you?"  
  
"Traitors? You betrayed the entire village, where was your army when we were attacked? You could have stopped this, now look at what is left of North. King Raekana-ka-lik is our true king why wouldn't you support him instead of letting your petty feelings of jealousy get in the way. Your jealousy has cost many people their lives and has stolen our homes from us. Stop your foolishness before anymore damage is done," the older advisor, Aran pleaded.  
  
Taleko kicked his jaw, which knocked him over and caused his lip to bleed.  
  
"You will not speak to your king that way you fool!"  
  
"I am not afraid of you. Men with the ruthlessness and cowardliness you possess are destroyed by their actions and those that they've wronged. Oh yes, I am sure of it your end shall come soon because men like you do not live long."  
  
"And neither will you, old man!"  
  
Suddenly Taleko was handed pike and he thrust it through Aran's neck.  
  
"What about you? Surely you are smarter than that fool was and will beg for your king's forgiveness."  
  
"It should be you on your knees begging to the gods to forgive you right now, I need not to beg for anything. I know no that no matter what I might say you will still kill me."  
  
"You're right."  
  
Taleko was preparing to kill Kakut, but was interrupted by one of his men.  
  
"Sir he is here!"  
  
There was Ra with his sword and glaring fiercely at Taleko.  
  
"Ah so our mighty 'king' is finally shows his cowardly self. What took you so long sleepy-head? Do you see what you have allowed to happen? Thanks to you the village has been wiped out completely. Men attack him!"  
  
Ra would have been at a disadvantage, but he had a superior weapon and they were not attacking a group. Someone jumped forward and Ra rolled away, quickly got back to his feet and then plunged his sword into the lower back of his attacker. He pulled the sword out quickly and saw who was coming next. Two soldiers came at him from opposite sides, he shoved one of them back and kicked the other. Before the lackey could defend himself Ra slashed his belly and kicked him to the ground. As soon as the man had fallen the latter half of the "duo" returned to attack.  
  
The soldier swung his pike like a club, but Ra easily blocked the attack. The soldier pushed Ra backward and then followed up with a punch to Ra's chest plate. The blow was not too strong and Ra continued fighting. Ra held his sword with both hands and swung furiously hitting the soldier's side. Although the move did prove to be painful the desired effect was not reached so Ra swung again. This time the sword cut through the skin and the soldier could not take any more pain and passed out.  
  
Three more soldiers approached him ready to fight and each one carried a pike. The formed a large triangle around him and did nothing. Ra stood motionless waiting for them to strike first. One of them nodded and they were about to attack in unison. They charged toward him, with their pikes outstretched and as they drew closer Ra was counting to himself. At the last second he dove out of their way and luckily remained unharmed. He had escaped so close before they were near that two of them had stabbed each other and crumpled to the ground. The remaining attacker rushed at Ra as he had done before. Just as the soldier was immediately in front of him, Ra sidestepped and snatched the pike in the same motion. Ra ran after him and swung at his head and the soldier dropped instantly.  
  
"Damn, you are all useless! I'll deal with this fake myself."  
  
Taleko dropped his pike and motioned for Ra to do the same with his weapons.  
  
"Why should I do what you want?"  
  
"Because if you do not the survivors of the invasion will be tortured so mercilessly they will wish that either the fire or the Southerners had killed them. Besides it is fair this way."  
  
"What do you know about being fair?"  
  
Taleko grinned devilishly, knowing that Ra would obey him. Ra dropped the pike where he stood and tossed his sword away from Taleko and the few soldiers still standing. Taleko dropped his weapon as well and they both advanced until they were only an arm's length apart. Ra initiated the battle with a right cross to Taleko jaw. He didn't budge, rather he countered with a jumping kick to Ra's gut. Ra fell backward and Taleko sprang forward to assault Ra while he was defenseless. He stomped on Ra's face a few times before caught his foot and pushed him away.  
  
Ra got to his feet quickly and he and Taleko began trading punches. Taleko interrupted the rhythm when he paused slightly because of the brutal aching of his knuckles. The next thing he knew something green hit him in the face hard and then something green hit him worse than before. However he quickly returned to his senses and kneed Ra in the gut. Ra winced a bit, but he was determined to battle on. He leapt at Taleko and landed two strong kicks to his chest.  
  
"Damn enough of this, the games end now," Taleko said while clutching his chest.  
  
Taleko darted back to where he had left his pike and picked it up.  
  
"I do not know why I expected that you would fight fair."  
  
"The end justifies the means, what does it matter if I kill you with or without a weapon?"  
  
Ra just shook his head in disgust, unable to respond to Taleko's cowardice. Taleko rushed forward to strike, but his attack was thwarted, Ra blocked his clubbing assault with his forearms. He flipped backward to avoid getting hit again, but Taleko ran to him and slashed upward, gashing his left shoulder.  
  
"Shit!"  
  
Ra felt the pain shooting through his shoulder, but knew if he stopped fighting for even a little bit he'd be hurting much worse than he was now. Before Taleko could react Ra retaliated with a great uppercut to make Taleko fall. Ra ran to where he had thrown the sword and picked it up and saw that Taleko was already standing. They walked slowly until the distance between them was miniscule. Both began blocking the other's weapon attacks, neither was able to gain the upper hand. Taleko swung his pike so forcefully that he knocked Ra off of his feet. He was only off of his feet for a moment or two, but in that time he grabbed a clump of sand and then stood.  
  
Before Taleko could do anything Ra threw sand into his eyes and blinded him. Ra swung his sword as hard as possible and his blade found Taleko's neck, slicing through the vulnerable skin in that area. Taleko clasped his hand around his neck and took two wobbly steps before collapsing.  
  
"Are you all going to fight me as well?"  
  
"Taleko is gone there is no need." One of the soldiers answered.  
  
"Explain."  
  
"There were not many of us that opposed your rule. Most of us were fighting because we were ordered to fight or die, we never thought that... all of this would happen. We considered attacking Taleko but he is extremely skilled compared to us."  
  
"Because you wanted to save your own lives the lives of many were lost, you can't be afraid to fight for what you support."  
  
He turned and walked toward the trail to the royal grounds. When he made it to his hut he tied up his shoulder to prevent anymore blood leakage.  
  
"I think that it is time that I leave... there is nothing on this island that is truly important to me."  
  
Ra went over to where the chest was and retrieved some sais from it. He tucked two of them into the sides of his belt and the third into the back.  
  
"I guess this is everything." Ra headed back to the beach and then followed the trail that led into the forest; the fishing canoes were hidden somewhere around there. Not far from where he was standing he saw something sticking out of the bushes. Sure enough when he raced over and pulled the object out it was indeed a canoe. He dragged it over to the beach and then fell to the ground. Kakut, who was nearby raced over and sat him upright.  
  
"Are you all right my lord?  
  
"I'm still exhausted from my battle, it nothing to lose sleep about."  
  
"If you say you are fine then I believe you. May I ask what you are planning to do with that canoe?"  
  
"Isn't it obvious? I'm leaving the island and starting my life over someplace that I can be seen as normal."  
  
"But we need you to lead us sire."  
  
"No you don't the village was decimated under my rule, North will be in far more capable hands if you rule. You would know what the village needs and you would be enthusiastic about your role, I lacked enthusiasm and knowledge while I reigned, these survivors need you. However one bit of advice I know I can give is that, you should move the village west and hopefully the Southerners will think everyone has been killed and you all won't have to live in fear of future attacks."  
  
Kakut wanted to say something, but he could not find the right words so he walked away. At the same time Ra got to his feet and grabbed a pike from the beach and placed it into the canoe and did the same with his remaining weapons. He went back into the forest and grabbed an armful of large rocks and returned to the beach and put them on top of the weapons.  
  
"This should be enough to weigh them down."  
  
Ra began pushing the canoe toward the ocean until he was knee deep in water. He hopped into the canoe and began rowing west. He wasn't sure where he was headed, but he didn't care either, right now he just wanted to be gone. 


	6. Fate Unknown

Fate Unknown  
  
Early in the morning, only moments after the cock had crowed, Kyoji had awoken and performed his morning exercises. Kyoji could not wait for his Sensei to teach him some English today. He entered into Master Arai's house and knocked on his Master's bedroom door.  
  
"Hello? Are you ready to teach me?"  
  
He paused shortly to listen for a response, but was not answered.  
  
"He can't still be sleeping can he?" Kyoji thought while he slowly opened the door to the bedroom.  
  
His jaw fell open at the horrible scene just ahead of him.  
  
"Master Arai has been slain, but... who could commit such a cowardly act? It looks like he never saw it coming. Whoever did it did not give him time to fight back nor did they try to torture him."  
  
Kyoji stormed out of the room and in blind fury began overturning the few articles of furniture that there were in the house.  
  
"Wait, I can't do this, I have to calm myself and think who would have a reason to kill Sensei. They definitely did not come for money and this was not random because were miles away from the nearest town; what other motives are there? Hmm... revenge maybe? This can wait, I need to be digging a grave now."  
  
Kyoji walked outside and went to the back of the house where the shovel lay. The area behind the house was absolutely bare and a perfect place to begin digging. As Kyoji monotonously worked with the shovel more and more clumps of dirt flew, the sun's heat seemed to have intensified and slow progress was being made. Two hours later, after finishing all that tiring work he went back into the house and slung Arai's lifeless body over his shoulder.  
  
He gently laid his Sensei into grave and then began filling the hole back up. By the time he finished his hands were raw from uninterrupted work and he had a few splinters in them as well. His shell ached from all the bending and his arms felt heavier after so much labor, but it was his parched tongue which forced him to the well for water and got his first rest since dig the grave. He sat on the ground while gulping down the refreshing water. Then immediately of who killed his master.  
  
"Ok I have to hard about this. Master Arai doesn't-- I mean he didn't even know anyone from around here so how-- Wait would they actually be able to find him after all these years? Damn it why should they still care about something that happened so long ago? I can't believe they could do this Master, your unnecessary death will be avenged I promise you."  
  
He ran into the forest with a heart pumping hate, mind almost blank, tears forming, and his fate unknown. 


	7. Out Past the Gate

"Its either now or never, if I don't leave this place today then I don't think I'd ever be able to work up the courage to go," Michinaga thought aloud.  
  
Michinaga searched the entire house looking for Kobeyashi and it took him a while before he finally found him sitting in the garden. He realized that his master was meditating he sat and joined him in reflection. They sat in silence for over thirty minutes until Kobeyashi stood.  
  
"Oh good afternoon Michinaga, I was not aware of your presence. How are you doing today?"  
  
"I'm fine I guess, but I wanted to talk to you about something."  
  
"Well then speak up lad."  
  
"Well I appreciate everything you've done for me these past twenty years. However I've decided that I not only want but need a life of absolute freedom, I need to leave. No offense, but I want to do more than just sumo wrestle."  
  
After an awkward silence Kobeyashi answered, "You are right, you should be able to go out and live for yourself. When I got you I did it so that I could have a small version of me around and when you changed I thought wow, this is great I have someone to carry on my legacy you know a son almost. But as time passed I realized how weird my life was, I mean I have been training you to be another me since you had transformed. I have not allowed you to live freely and I feel guilty for it and yet for the past ten years that I have felt responsible I changed nothing and said nothing. However I hope that since you came to me to leave rather than flee that maybe you can forgive me."  
  
Mic couldn't believe how easy it was, he had wasted almost two unnecessary years, agonizing how he should tell Kobeyashi that he wanted to leave.  
  
"So I can leave?"  
  
"Yes, you are not a prisoner here, you never were. If you were willing to come to me I would have allowed you to leave years ago."  
  
"Thank you, Master of course I can forgive you."  
  
Mic hugged him in gratitude and started to head for the house to prepare for his departure.  
  
"Wait a second, you need to hear this! Just because you will be living on your own does not mean that you should discard the lessons and values that I have taught you. Especially the fact that you are very different and it may be near impossible for people to understand or even tolerate you. Take caution, believe in yourself, and most importantly do not lack courage."  
  
"Thank you, I will be sure to heed your advice."  
  
Mic walked into the house and tossed some food, comics, and manga into a bag and zipped it up. He left his room and was turning into the hall when he noticed that Kobeyashi was blocking his path down the stairs.  
  
"Aw, don't tell me that you have changed your mind?"  
  
"No of course not, I came to give you something that might aid you on your 'journey'. When I thought about you leaving it made me think about something I had stored in the shed, so here."  
  
"A pair of nunchucks?"  
  
"The world in which you are about to face is very hostile and dangerous, you might need them to make life a little more fair."  
  
Mic nodded and put them with the other things in his bag. Then he bowed and made his way out of the house and then finally was out past the gate. 


	8. Guessing Game

The roar of the train's wheels and the violent rocking of the train car jarred him from "dreamland" and into late evening.  
  
"Ugh. I am still on this freight train. Damn, its dark out, I wonder what state is this? Its probably Louisiana by now. I still cannot believe that I'm doing this. Going across the country and then across the Atlantic to Japan, based on something Richard speculated on two years ago. Although I can remember everything he said word for word..."  
  
"...I think the final shipment of Miracle Grow went somewhere in the Far East, Japan I think," Richard answered.  
  
"So basically you are telling me that you created me?" Terry asked.  
  
"I guess you could say that I had a part to play in your creation."  
  
"Am I an accident then, since what happened to me wasn't supposed to happen?"  
  
"No, your becoming sentient and human in form were not meant to happen, but if it hadn't you may have ended up dead in the dump. Just think of what happened to you as fate looking out for you and giving you another chance to live and do something special."  
  
"I guess you're Richard, I should accept what happened and enjoy life."  
  
"I guess I'll find out more about Miracle Green soon enough."  
  
Terry curled up into a more comfortable position and tried to use the Japanese-English dictionary he had been studying lately as a pillow. Within moments the monotonous roar and sway of the rain that pulled him from sleep lulled him back into it. 


	9. far away lands and shiny things

With all the days that he had spent in the canoe Ra was beginning to change. His skin darkened since there was no escape from the ever vigilant sun, the constant rowing made him stronger and his stamina better, he was forced to eat much healthier than he was used to, and by listening to the waves his hearing seemed to grow more selective, almost better even.  
  
"Where am I going? I have no knowledge of the world. Will I even be able to find land again amidst all this vast water? Did my father even know what he was talking about?"  
  
"Many years ago during the time of my grandfather a gigantic ship from afar cashed into the island. The ship was damaged beyond repair and apparently no one aboard survived the trip. The King's grandfather went aboard and chose to take some circles as shiny as the sun. Then he allowed his advisors to go aboard and they took strange garments. However as an unexpected act of kindness towards my grandfather, for leading the defense of the village against the Southerners, he allowed him to go aboard and select what he wanted as well." Rommenik began to explain.  
  
"My grandfather decided to take a box which came with a shiny unbreakable twig stuck in a little hole in the box. After learning that the twig could be used to open the box he found that inside were magnificent weapons that reflected images like the waters. However he never had to use them because of the years of peace that lasted the rest of that King's reign. When I finally became leader of the village army there was never a battle large enough to prompt the use of the 'good weapons' So throughout the years the remained inside the box except when I would take them out to polish them."  
  
"But the time to use them may come during your life time because as I have told you it is the Southerner's belief although false, that the island can only support their population so they must destroy our people. We know for sure that the reason that the Southerners have been less aggressive these past three generations was to build up their army for large scale war against us. The advisors have told the King it would just be best to wait until you take the throne to go on the offensive. Since I won't be commanding the army when that happens, I think you should have the chest of weapons. While I know that you will be taking the throne I am also aware of the fact that you hate to be passive and always get directly involved in anything that remotely concerns you."  
  
"Why won't the King just go there and attack now?" Ra asked.  
  
"Because army participation is at an all time low and a good number of the men have not been properly trained. It would be stupid of us to try and go on the offensive now. We can only hope that we have enough time to prepare before South village is ready to strike."  
  
"So where did the box come from?"  
  
"I'm not sure but the priests speak of many far away lands that are both larger and tinier than our own."  
  
"How can they be sure?"  
  
"The gods would not have created a world so empty: with only this single land and the vast waters, it would make no sense because the ship had to come from somewhere and probably originated from a land much larger and full of even stranger things than what was found on the ship."  
  
"Well I guess if the priests could predict my coming, then they could be right about this too." 


	10. Things He Forgot

Kyoji bent over and splashed the cool stream water onto his face.  
  
"Ok I'm calm, now I have to recall Master Arai told me to determine who is guilty."  
  
"I think it is finally time to reveal my past to you. I know you have probably wondered why I have never talked about it and the reason is I was not always how I currently am. In my youth I associated with an organization that is notorious for its shady dealings. I was rising among the ranks, and pretty much only used in stealth missions and theft, both were my specialties. I wasn't as ruthless as the others so I had to excel in those areas. My family knew that my involvement would cause suffering and tried to convince that the things that I was doing were wrong, but I would not listen. I was in love with all the power, wealth, and respect that I had acquired by joining the Foot."  
  
"Anyway after a few years of involvement and becoming a well respected leader in the Clan, I was asked to something even I would not do. I was asked to kill someone, leaders said that I was the only person capable of doing the job, no one else could sneak into such a highly guarded compound. However, although I was a bit misguided I was not completely without morals, I told them I could never kill. They waited a week and then sent a member of the Clan whose sneaking skills were supposed to rival my own. The Foot ninja was killed in his attempt to infiltrate the compound. The leaders of the Clan grew anxious, the man they wanted me to kill must have been a serious threat to them. So they approached me a second time about slaying the man, but I refused once more. The following day one of the leaders came to me and said that he would give me one last chance to do the right, but I said that I could not take a life. Minutes later while I was meditating I heard something hit the floor hard and I broke from my meditation. I opened my eyes and witnessed the brutally slain body of my brother's only son."  
  
"I could not believe what had happened, I knew he was killed because of me, my family suffered because I could only think of the good that came with being in the Foot Clan. I fled from the room and ran straight to my brother's house. I entered into his home and automatically feared the worst when I discovered that the door was unlocked. The initial evidence was not looking as if it would disprove my thinking either. There pieces of a large vase were scattered near the door . As I walked into the living room the tiny bit of optimism that remained was snatched . My brother and his wife lay murdered on their once snow white carpet, which was now decorated with their blood, leaving huge inkblot like stains."  
  
"The Foot killed them to get to me and worked pretty nicely, too nicely in fact because I was so disgusted with the Foot Clan that I could never go back. I could stand to see them like this so I left, but I made sure to leave the door wide open so that the neighbors would investigate later. I called my parents multiple times, but no one answered meaning the Foot had gotten to them as well. With no more family ties I decided to retreat to forest area that we currently reside in. Since that day I decided to live honestly, simply and more virtuously as well. I lived alone that way thirty years before the loneliness inside of me became so powerful that I ended up getting you."  
  
"Master-" Kyoji said, confused by the revelation.  
  
"Do not speak in haste young one, return to your quarters to meditate on how you truly feel."  
  
"Damn it was the Foot, I should have known. They will pay, I don't know how I will do this but Master Arai will be avenged."  
  
Kyoji walked back to his now empty home to get some things before setting off to find the Foot.  
  
"Let me think where are the swords and armor Master promised me? He said that when I finished my training they would be mine. Wait I remember, he kept them in his room under his sleeping mat."  
  
Kyoji rolled the mat out of the way and sure enough found a trapdoor underneath, he opened the door and pulled out the armor and katanas. They belonged to his Master who never needed to use them while with the Foot; for obvious reasons. The armor was a lightweight, compact material that was extremely sturdy, and shaped a bit like a vest.  
  
"Damn how will I be able to get this thing on, it can't fit over my shell. I can't just leave this armor behind though it would be such a waste. Maybe I can... no that won't work, hey what it I cut along the sides?  
  
Kyoji took the katana and slowly began slicing down the sides and minutes later it was fully separated. Then he got some tape to secure the armor and began moving around. After determining that the tape worked he went to look for a few more things. Scabbards for the katanas, knee and elbow pads, and some black cloth were all found in his lodging. He slid the katanas into the scabbards, put on the pads and cut eye holes into the cloth to make it into a bandana and used the rest of the cloth as a belt. However he still was not done with his search, he went into his Master's dresser and eventually found some black leggings in the bottom drawer. He put them on hastily and left the house.  
  
"I will make the Foot regret their actions one way or another." 


	11. the new kid

After traveling ten miles in all yesterday, Mic felt that he had earned an hour or two to slack off today. So he pulled out one of favorite comics and sat against a tree and began reading.  
  
Guardians of Rota: Origins Issue #1  
  
We live in a world filled with emotions, a place where emotions dictate how we behave and develop. Emotions make up our personalities and if we can not control our emotions they will control us. Dormant within certain individuals is the EC gene, this gene has the capability to alter one's DNA significantly, it changes the individual as well once stimulated. The EC gene only triggers alteration when either extreme emotion or surges of adrenaline occur.  
  
Alex Bailey  
  
All the packing had been finished for a two weeks now as well as forwarding mail to the new address, getting a new phone number, and registering Alex for school.  
  
"I promise you that I'll be working in Rota long enough for you to graduate here." His father assured.  
  
Alex stayed silent, knowing that his father could promise nothing, his position in the company guaranteed that. He said goodnight to his parents and crept up the stairs to his room. He drifted off while contemplating whether there was any point in trying to make new friends again, it was getting tiresome just trying and even more tiresome when he had to move again. The early morning chill shook Alex serene slumber and he groaned in annoyance.  
  
"Damn, I got school today."  
  
He glanced over at his clock and realized that the bus would arrive in about forty-five minutes. After zooming through his mourning routine and catching some breakfast, the school bus pulled up and he bolted out of the house. Once on the bus he was pretty much ignored and sat alone while the kids around him chatted with friends. After a seemingly extra long ride to school was over Alex picked up his schedule and for the most part went through his classes unnoticed. That was until his last period when he was free and witnessing something happening right in front of him.  
  
"Watch where you're goin' punk!" An all black clad Latino teen shouted.  
  
"S-sorry I didn't see you, I wasn't looking," replied some short kid.  
  
"You weren't looking! Well maybe this will teach you to look next time!" The Latino teen said as he gave the boy a fierce shove.  
  
Before the kid could even move, the taller and older boy and his friends surrounded him and started pushing him around.  
  
"Hey stop it, I said I was sorry. Why won't you let me go?"  
  
"You don't speak to us in that tone punk, don't you got any manners? I mean who do you think you're fucking with, if I wasn't feeling so cheerful today you'd be bleeding and unconscious."  
  
The undersized high school student began to study his bullies for the first time when he realized his mistake.  
  
"No... thi-this can't be happening, why me? Please say I'm wrong, please say that you all aren't in RMS-7."  
  
"Bad day for you kid. Hey, at least you'll be able to meet all of us personally."  
  
Alex decided he had heard enough, it was time to do something.  
  
"Leave him alone, he apologized to you didn't he, so turn him loose." Alex said as he stepped out of his hiding spot.  
  
"Stay out of our business, this is between us and the twerp."  
  
"This is my business, that could be one day if you pick fights for stupid stuff like this."  
  
"I'm giving you chance and only one chance to apologize and then to get your sorry ass away from here."  
  
"I'm sorry I can't do that."  
  
"No one disrespects us like this, forget the punk, let's jump this fool!"  
  
As he and his two friends advanced toward Alex the kid ran away in the opposite direction. Alex shifted his attention to the one on his right and slammed his elbow into the guy's face. The goon clutched his left eye and Alex unleashed a kick to his gut potent enough to cause him to double over. Out of nowhere a blow to the back of the head knocked Alex down to one knee and then an even stronger blow forced him prone on the floor. Alex rolled out of the way and into safety and quickly got back up. It was the leader's other friend, one wearing a hat that had attacked. Alex and the crony locked hands and immediately Alex realized this guy was much stronger than him. The crony tightened his grip and Alex winced in pain.  
  
"I need to think of something to get out of this."  
  
Alex slowly tried to muscle the guy backward and then waited for a bit and moved so quickly the crony couldn't stop his driving assault into the lockers. Automatically the gang member released his grip, allowing for Alex to slam his head into the locker twice. The teen stumbled around for a bit and then collapsed, leaving their leader as the only RMS-7 member standing.  
  
"I'll teach you to mess with us!"  
  
Alex blocked his opening punches and returned the favor with a shot to the ribs. This enraged the teen even worse than before and he swung blindly in his anger, opening himself up to left hook to the chops. When Alex hesitated to attack right after that he was sucker punched and then rammed into the lockers. Alex reached for his lower back in pain and the gang leader went for another punch, but Alex blocked it with his free arm. Alex jumped up and his leg thrusts met the attacker's face twice and when he landed he punched him square in the chest.  
  
The leader backed up some and then spoke, "I'll teach you to mess with us, we are gonna make you suffer! Now come on you two worthless rejects let's roll."  
  
His two followers who were already back on their feet left with him around the corner.  
  
"Damn, nice way to start off in a new school. What did I get myself into?"  
  
Later that same day a few RMS-7 members gathered for a meeting.  
  
"So what are we going to do?" A kid going by the name of T said.  
  
"We are going to hit that punk hard, we will make sure that he learns not to fuck with RMS. And we gonna have to do something so wicked that people don't think we goin' soft or nothing."  
  
"How you plan on doing that?"  
  
"Just killing him would be too easy, he wouldn't suffer for his mistake and he wouldn't have learned his lesson. Alright let me see... how about-what if we-nope-. Damn what would work? Hey I got the perfect solution for payback, we'll kill one of his parents. Then he will regret ever trying to be a hero and no one will try to attempt shit like what happened today again. So this is what we'll do..."  
  
At that same moment at Alex's house his mom had just returned from work.  
  
"So how did your first day go?" She asked.  
  
"It went by without a hitch."  
  
"Good, so did you meet anybody or make any friends?"  
  
"More than I know what to do with."  
  
"Well good for you honey, its nice to see that you are adjusting so well."  
  
Alex went up to his room and attempted to do some homework, but there was one thing that kept plaguing him. Which was how would RMS retaliate?  
  
"Its too bad that I know absolutely nothing about them, I guess tomorrow I'll have to try and meet some people."  
  
Alex knew he shouldn't worry about things he couldn't control and went back to doing his homework. In homeroom the next day he decided to try to open up to people. He turned to a guy sitting next to him and decided to initiate the conversation.  
  
"Hey, I'm Alex the new guy."  
  
"Oh yeah, My name's Mike I could tell you were new. So you move here for sports?"  
  
"No I-"  
  
"Hold on I think I got it you were expelled from your last school?"  
  
"Nope. Actually my family moved here because my dad's job forces us to move around often, but supposedly he said we'd be staying here for awhile."  
  
"Wow I still can't believe you guys moved here, I mean don't your folks watch the news?"  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"Not here man, I'll talk to you about it later."  
  
Mike was obviously worried about being overheard, but Alex wondered what he could say that could be so unsafe to mention in high school. Alex didn't try talking to anyone else until lunch a few periods later.  
  
"Mind if I sit here?" Alex asked a girl who was obviously sitting alone.  
  
"No go ahead."  
  
"Hey, you're in my American Lit class right?"  
  
"Uh huh I'm Stacey."  
  
"I'm Alex."  
  
"So why did your family move to Rota of all places?"  
  
"My dad's job kinda forced us to move here."  
  
"Oh."  
  
"Can I ask you something?"  
  
"Sure I guess."  
  
"Um what do you know about RMS-7?"  
  
"Listen I know you haven't been in Rota long, but you better learn what subjects to avoid or life will get tough pretty fast. Especially around the wrong people or you'll find some things out personally. Alex it was nice to meet you, but I've gotta go and see a teacher about something before lunch ends. See ya around and I hope you listened."  
  
Alex watched as she trotted off and headed through the cafeteria doors.  
  
"Whoa some subjects are pretty touchy around here."  
  
Alex didn't bother talking to anyone else for the rest of the day and figured he should just assume the worst about the gang.  
  
"We tailed the guy liked you told us," a gang member reported.  
  
"And?" The leader demanded, as his voice was filled with impatience.  
  
"We know the exact route this dude takes to and from work."  
  
"Good then tomorrow we will execute the plan."  
  
At home laying in his bed at night Alex began thinking to himself.  
  
"RMS is a very delicate subject to people apparently. I guess I'll just have to hope that they aren't as serious about revenge as they seemed. Who am I tryin' to kid, I know they're plotting something, even if I'm not sure what it is. It all depends on how greatly they feel I've disrespected them. Hopefully I'll be able to avoid them long enough to come up with a plan."  
  
He switched of his light and knew he was screwed, what possible plan could he come up with to get a whole gang off his back. However the following day he was able to successfully avoid running into any RMS members although doing so completely exhausted him. By the time he got home and into his room he was out like a light.  
  
"Yo you ready to do this?" A bandana wearing gangster asked while gripping the steering wheel.  
  
"Yeah let's do this," his accomplice replied as he cocked a gun.  
  
The driver punched the gas and swerved to the right to jump ahead of another car. He sped up slightly and then braked abruptly. The car behind him slammed the brakes and the car screeched to a halt, almost hitting the RMS gang car. The teen wielding a gun hopped out his seat and walked to the driver's side of the other car.  
  
"Hey what's your problem you could-" The driver shouted, but the gun made him shut up.  
  
"Get out of the car."  
  
"I've got money, that's what you want right? Just don't hurt me and I'll give it to you alright."  
  
"Get into that alley now or I'll cap your ass!"  
  
The gangster yanked opened the door and Alex's father stepped out the car, then they both walked into the alley.  
  
"Turn around."  
  
"Come on don't do this I got a family."  
  
The teen reached into Mr. Bailey's back pocket and pulled out his wallet. Mr. Bailey turned and faced the punk.  
  
"Oh good you're taking the money, so I guess you won't be-"  
  
Two bullets, one in the head and the other in heart interrupted him and he dropped to the dingy alley floor. The teen didn't linger and bolted for the car, which immediately sped away.  
  
"Alex wake up, I need to talk to you," his mother said with a wavering voice.  
  
"Ugh do I have to get up now?"  
  
"Yes, something happened."  
  
Alex sat upright and wiped the crud out of his eyes.  
  
"What is it?"  
  
"Your father, he... he was lured away from his car and shot and killed in alley. I just got the news, I need to go down to the morgue to officially identify his body. After that I have to go to the police station to answer some questions I know you must be feeling confused and upset so I'll leave you alone for awhile so we can talk later."  
  
His mother kissed him on the forehead and then left his room.  
  
"Dad is dead. But what reason would anyone have to kill him and who could do this? We haven't even been in Rota a month so why would someone want to hurt him when he just got here? I know this just couldn't have been random."  
  
At that moment Alex's thoughts turned to what the RMS leader said to him in retreat.  
  
"I'll teach you to mess with us, we are gonna make you suffer..."  
  
"I can't believe they would murder my father just to get back at me. Damn, why couldn't this stay between me and them. Well I'm going to do something, I'm not going to let them get away with this."  
  
Alex left his room and climbed upstairs into the attic.  
  
"What am I doing up here, I don't even know hat I'm looking for."  
  
He rummaged through many more boxes before finally finding something worthwhile.  
  
"Sweet, my old Halloween mask! With this RMS won't know who is attacking."  
  
Alex donned the all black horror movie hockey mask and left a note saying he went out for a walk in order to clear his mind. Almost instantly he broke into full stride as he headed downtown, figuring that RMS members would be around there. It wasn't long after that when Alex heard a thunderous boom in the sky.  
  
"Damn."  
  
There was only deafening rumbling for a bit and then the rain finally fell and it came hard.  
  
"Damn."  
  
The rain and the rhythmic movements of his running made him lose track of time and where he was until he almost ran into a parking meter.  
  
"Looks like I'm finally downtown, now to find some RMS punks."  
  
Alex continued to walk another two blocks when he finally spotted a few suspicious persons up ahead. He ducked behind a car to see what was going on.  
  
"Hurry the hell up and decide, you're gettin' us all soaking wet!" The seemingly always angry leader demanded.  
  
"Can't this wait 'till tomorrow?" A short kid Hispanic begged.  
  
"No, we've given you enough time already. You are like us, you should be in RMS-7, if you don't want to belong then you'll be dealt as all others are."  
  
"Hold up, just give me a little more time."  
  
"Time is up and your luck is about to be too--"  
  
"Stop. You punks are going to leave him alone." Alex while pointing at the kid.  
  
Everyone turned to find where the voice had come from.  
  
"Who the hell is this idiot? Don't you know October is next month," a lackey jeered.  
  
Someone closest to Alex tried strike him in the face with a kick, but Alex deftly avoided the attack. Grabbing the attacker's leg he slammed him into the concrete and then stomped hard onto his chest. Alex turned to find three more underlings ready to fight.  
  
"All of you are going to pay. Be prepare to suffer for your sin."  
  
Alex swung and a purple burst erupted from his hands, hitting one of them directly in the chest and knocking him out. Alex wasted no time and sent a bruising elbow to another's face and then taking him out with an uppercut. Alex felt a hard strike crash into his belly, then another in that same spot, and another, and another, but he was able to snap from his defensive languor and block one. However the punk wasn't done with his offensive assault and kneed Alex in the gut, nearly causing Alex to fall. He swung and hit Alex cheekbone brutally and landed some unblocked body punches. Alex blocked the next strike and did a spinning kick to smack his attacker in the face twice. While he still reeled from the attack Alex did a quick sweep kick and the punk hit the concrete hard enough not to get back up.  
  
"What the hell are you some kind of freak? Well it doesn't matter I'm not gonna go out like those chumps you just waxed." The leader said as he pulled a gun from his back pocket.  
  
"Ahh a gun!" The short kid shouted.  
  
"The kid is still here, oh no." Alex thought to himself.  
  
"Man I'm gonna off this short punk first."  
  
Alex dashed toward the leader in an effort to stop him, but expectantly everything turned completely black. Three shots were fired immediately and then it stayed totally silent. Then as abruptly as the "blackout" occurred everything went back to normal. The kid was gone and the leader held the gun in his hand, but had it pointed at nothing.  
  
"Shit he got away ugh-" The shooter said as Alex knocked the gun out of his hand. Alex landed two blows right to his nose and then elbowed him right after. Alex knocked him on his ass with a sweep kick and started to stomp away on the guy's ribs. However he was able to roll out of the way quickly and then slowly rose to his feet.  
  
"Nobody punks Benny the Bandit like this! I don't care what I do, but I'm going to make sure you don't live to see the sun!" "Benny the Bandit's the best you could come up with?"  
  
He ran at Alex and they exchanged a few punches, but Alex began blocking some strikes while, Benny kept swinging. Which led to a few repeated punches to the gang leader's face. Benny clasped his hands together and then whacked Alex furiously in the face. Benny head butted him and his head landed right between the eyes. Alex didn't slow down and kept fighting back. As Alex lunged for Benny's chest once again the strange purple light flashed and Benny was sent into a brick wall.  
  
"This won't make up for his death, but it definitely helped big time in relieving some anger."  
  
During the entire brawl the rain had not let up, but by now Alex was hardly aware of it. He pulled off his mask and started on his way back home. Traveling much slower than before he got home twenty minutes later.  
  
"Oh Alex are you alright you're soaking wet. I was so worried after what happened tonight, I was thinking of going around looking for you."  
  
"I'm fine, wet but fine I just had to take a walk and clear my head."  
  
"Alright. So are you ready to talk?"  
  
"Right now I just wanna catch some sleep ok."  
  
"Sure I'm ready whenever you are."  
  
Alex plodded up the stairs, weary from the fight and just plain tired. He yanked off his shoes and clothes and tossed them into a corner before getting into bed. As his head hit the pillow his thoughts turned to what had happened tonight.  
  
"What were those purple flashes? Benny and his guys seemed to think they were coming from me. Hmm the flash came when I hit that one guy and it instantly knocked him unconscious. Then when I was fighting Benny it came again and launched him farther than humanly possible."  
  
Alex stared down at the palms of his hands intently, but saw that they were no different than usual.  
  
"What happened back there? I don't know what is going on anymore, my father was killed because of me and I'm shooting out purple shit strong enough to make people get tossed in the air. And what about that freaky ass blackout? I gotta figure this stuff out later I need some sleep. 


End file.
